The Rabbi & the Porn Star//Known

Part 2 of a study on John 4:1-42

Sooo...Jesus is still sitting by the well with the town slut. He just offered her a new life and a new start and a way to be one with God again (Living Water). And she says that's what she's been looking for and that she wants what Jesus is offering her. She wants living water!!! Then randomly Jesus says, "Where is your husband?" To which she responds, "I have no husband..." Then Jesus tells the girl her life's story, "You right, you've had five husbands and the one you're shacking up with now isn't even your husband." Wow!!! How in-your-face is that???

But it is at this point that she realizes something...

He knows absolutely everything about me and He's still sitting beside me. He's still here with me and loving me for who I am...mistakes and all.

Isn't that what what all of us are looking for? Don't all of us want someone that knows every single little tiny detail about us (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and still love us.

That desire has been God's plan from the beginning. When God created man, He said it is not good for the man to be alone...So God created woman (because the first time the man saw her, he said, "Whoa mannnn!!!" lol) But at the end of that chapter God said that they were "naked before each other and were without shame." (Gen 2:25) This is more than just a physical aspect. It covers everything...they knew everything about each other, inside and out, and they were without shame. All of us want something like that. Because...

To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known!!!

Known...let's talk about this word. In the Hebrew, the word they used for "to know" is...yada. Which is the same word that they used for SEX...oh yes we're going there. (I'm tired of the church not going there) Since the beginning of time God created us for love and for intimacy. First with Him, then our spouse, and then the world. But at the beginning, when a man loved a women and they made love...they knew each other. Sex wasn't just intercourse, it was having someone know everything about you and still want to be with you and vice versa...You knew every detail about the person you were with and you still want to share your love with that person alone.

As you read the Bible, you can see how we start preverting sex. Instead of knowing each other like God's original plan, we started taking from each other. In Gen 6:2, they stopped using the term "to know" for sex...they started using the term, "to take."

He doesn't really have to know her, he can just take what He wants from her and leave it at that. No commitments...no regrets, right???

She wants to be known by someone, but doesn't believe that kind of love exists. So she settles and starts "giving herself away" so that she can feel loved for at least a couple of moments. But she doesn't know him, she just takes from him so that she can feel better about herself.

It's just sex!!!

But that's my point, when it's just sex then it's that...just sex. There' no love, no intimacy, no connection. We can live without sex, but we cannot live without love. That's why you can be the most popular person at a party, but still be alone on the inside. That's why you can have sex with him and at the end still feel empty. Because sex without knowing isn't sex. Sex without knowing isn't love. Because...

To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known!!!

Sooo...she is sitting next to Jesus and she realizes what she's found in Him. She's been looking sooooo long for something like this. For someone to know her...REALLY know her from the inside-out and still love her...and still be there with her through it all...And Jesus is still sitting next to her...with her...the rabbi and the pornstar.

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Sources
The Bible
True Story by James Choung
SexGod by Rob Bell

The Rabbi & the Porn Star//Living Water

Part 1 of a study on John 4:1-42

Soooo...Jesus is sitting by Himself near a well and the town slut comes up to draw some water--Awkward. So what does Jesus do? He goes and talks to her and asks her for some water. Now this is not the norm...come on...i mean the rabbi and the porn star--that would make Entertainment Tonight. But He comes up to her despite her label and asks her for some water.

She says, "You're a Jew, why would you ask someone like me for water?" Then Jesus said, "If you would ask me for water, I would give you living water and you would never thirst again." Now let's stop right here for a second.

Living Water--what is that suppose to mean???

To the Jews, this "living water" was a ritual bath, called the mikveh. Before you could come into the presence of God, you had to be made clean. So at the Temple there was a place where you would come and wash yourself with "living water" so that you could be with God.

So Jesus is sitting with this promiscuous women and offering her...
a new life
a new start
to be able to be made clean again
to be able to be with God again

This is funny that Jesus is offering a dirty Samaritan all of this because according to the Jewish tradition, Jesus would have to take a little dip in the "living water" pool himself, because he was drinking from a jar that was handled by a Samaritan.

So Jesus is sitting next to her, becoming "unclean" to the point that he is no longer accepted in the Church, so that this girl can be made one with God again...AWESOME STUFF!!!

So she turns and looks at Jesus and says, "I want this living water. I don't want to keep coming back to this well. I don't want to be thirsty all the time--always looking for something and never finding it. I want to be satisfied."

So...
You who has been searching for that one thing that's missing
You who wants more to this life
You who walks to the well alone because no one wants you

LISTEN TO THESE WORDS...

"Anyone who is thirsty may come to me. Anyone who believes in me may come and drink. For rivers of living water flow from my heart for you."--Jesus
(John 7:37-38)

To be continued...

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Sources
The Bible
Followtherabbi.com

Randomness//I Dare You...

I DARE YOU TO THINK OF SOMEONE BESIDES YOURSELF

I DARE YOU TO LOOK BEYOND YOUR RIGHT NOW, YOUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCE OR SITUATION

I DARE YOU TO LOOK INTO THE EYES OF YOUR CHILDREN AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU CANT

I DARE YOU TO GROW

I DARE YOU TO GIVE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER GIVEN BEFORE

I DARE YOU TO LOVE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER LOVED BEFORE

I DARE YOU TO COME OUT FROM UNDER THE SELFISH ROCK YOU LIVE AND LIVE FOR SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF…

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Sources
A blog from fellow church planter in the big ATL...
Lloyd Owens @ Peculiar Place
whatispeculiar.com

Randomness//Center of it all

Here's just some random thoughts and questions from the churchplanters.com conference that Jack and I went to last week. Next week start back my normal stuff...lol

What type of church are you planting? What do you mean...type of church?
--David Putnam

I love this. Types of church???
I thought there was only one church on this earth.
It is international (not made in America).
It is interracial (yes, that means black, white, latino, asian, and everybody else all under one roof).
THERE IS ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISIM, AND ONE CHURCH. (Eph 4:5)
Denominations cut the body into pieces--no wonder people don't want to be apart of His Church...we hate each other according to our denominations. Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father were one. Let's stop all this types of churches stuff and let's be His church.

What this world needs is Jesus, not an impressive church!!!
--Shawn Lovejoy

It's not about the lights, the music, or the pastor's hairstyle. We do everything we can do to entertain people into the church. I'm sorry but that is a sin. We need worship not entertainment. If we offer entertainment, we are offering people the same thing they can get anywhere else. And most "christian entertainment" sucks compared to the entertainment this world offers. But, if we offer worship and love, that is something different than this world offers. And didn't Jesus say, "If I be lifted up then I will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32) So shouldn't we worship so that Jesus can do something, or are we just gonna a settle and entertain and keep Jesus out of it???

Until you can say, "Imitate me," like Paul did...then you have no reason planting a church.
--Bob Roberts Jr.

'Nuff said...How about them apples?

Are you making momentum or making disciples?
--Ed Stetzer

Again...
entertainment vs. worship (worship)
transaction vs. transformation (salvation)
the cool church vs. the Body of Christ (the church)

So basically at the end of all this. Jesus is the center of it all and there is "one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:6)